The Fate of the Gods
by BLeeB77
Summary: Yggdrasil is in autumn. War and disasters accompany the return of Thanos, and the only one who can stop it is sitting in prison. In Midgard, a girl named Sophie is just trying to get by in life. But the world becomes a lot bigger than her hometown when she meets a scientist named Jane. As an ancient past is revealed, will Sophie's human will be a match for a god? [Loki X OC]
1. Chapter 1: The Future

**The Future**

A giant figure trudged over the rocky terrain of a large cave. His heavy footsteps reverberated against the rough obsidian walls. From deep within the cave, heavy breathing echoed down the tunnel. He carefully stepped over deep gouges in the ground as he moved deeper and deeper into the darkness. The harsh sapphire glow from a tesseract energy source lead the way down. Soon, he came upon a huge creature covered in bloody and matted fur. Thanos smiled and approached the hulking animal.

"It is time. Yggdrasil's branches are weakening. Have you felt it?" A deep voice answered back in the darkness.

" _Yes! The air shall grow sweet with blood! I hunger for flesh!_ " The air rippled as the creature spoke. Thanos smiled a cruel, mirthless smile.

"The fate of the gods draws near and the ravens have begun circling Yggdrasil. We must only wait a little while longer." The creature strained at his bonds and growled in frustration.

" _How long must I wait to be free! When will you bring me a sacrifice?_ "

Thanos held the energy source of the tesseract in front of him and showed the beast images of death and battle, the beast growled yearning to tear into the fray. "Since my last puppet failed on Midgard. I have sent my night mares to invade the dreams of the mortals to torment them, and from there we shall reap a sacrifice so that you may at last break free from your bondage. A low and deep howl shook the cave and small pebbles clattered to the ground.

* * *

Sophie stared sleepy eyed at the TV which was running another report on the attack on New York. One of the dogs, Sten, was curled up in her lap keeping her warm in the mid-January weather.

"Although we have the protection of the so called 'Avengers,' how can we be so sure that they will continue to protect us? Why should we rely on these beings with powers far greater than our own military?" Sophie frowned at the news commentators as they sat around and talked in circles about where the modern world will head now that there are these super human beings. Taking another bite of her toast, Sophie contemplated about what the commentators had said but the voice of her father called into the living room.

"Sophie, are you finished with your breakfast!" Sten's head perked up and turned to search for the origin of the voice. Sophie turned off the TV and popped the last bit of toast in her mouth. Putting the small terrier on the floor gently, she stood up from the arm chair and stretched before heading outside into the foggy California morning. Though the clouds obscured the mountains and the drought had taken a toll on them, Sophie knew that her home had the most beautiful view of the Sierra Nevada's in the whole Central Valley. A small whine sounded beside her as she opened the door.

"No Jarl." said Sophie as she prevented an aging chocolate lab from sneaking between her legs to the outside. She stepped out and was met by the cheery voice of her dad.

"Finally!" he teased, "The zombie has awakened!" Hiding a smirk, Sophie bent down and pulled on her work boots made cold by the chilly night. When she remained silent, Sophie's dad reached up and jostled her by her shoulders which turned her smirk into a full-fledged laugh. "Wake-y wake-y! It's time to go to work!" Gently pushing her dad away, Sohpie reached up and tied her shoulder length dark, wavy, blond hair into a small pony tail.

"Alright, alright," she smiled, "let me grab my gloves." Walking over to a workbench, she grabbed her gloves and picked up her dad's, a mischievous grin on her lips. "Ay dad!" she yelled throwing his gloves with a satisfying smack to the face. Sophie laughed with mirth and started to book it in the opposite direction as a smile spread across his face.

"Oh you think that's funny?" he gave chase and hooked his foot around her ankle just right and she fell face first into the dewy grass. A wave of laughter spread over the two as and it took a minute before they both could regain their composure. He helped her to her feet and gave her a good smack on the back after he was sure that she was okay.

"I'm surprised that you were able to catch up to me, old man." She quipped shaking off the grass and water dropplets.

"I'm not as old as you think I am, besides age and wisdom will always trump youth and foolishness." Sophie laughed as grabbed the back of her dad's sweater and pulled it over his head.

"Then it's a good thing I'm sly about it." She grinned and skipped away leaving him behind.

Both Sophie and her dad eventually made their way to the truck and hopped into the cab. Sophie pulled down the mirror to make sure that her hair was fixed properly. Her dad laughed.

"We aren't going to a beauty pageant, Soph."

"I know that, dad, I just don't want my hair to fall out." She was happy that her dad was in such a good mood this morning. Some days she was never quite sure what he would be like for that day and whether or not she had to tread carefully around him. Looking in the mirror one last time before putting it back into position, Sophie couldn't help but notice how different she was from her dad. His eyes were bright blue while hers were as dark as coffee. Her skin was a slight olive color that darkened easily in the sun while his burned at the thought of sun exposure. Sophie had been told by her dad and grandparents just how much she looked like her mother, a spitting image, but Sophie wouldn't know considering that her mother had passed away when she was too young to remember.

The truck pulled smoothly out of the driveway and down a short dirt road before making it onto a main road. Sophie didn't mind living in her town, it wasn't nearly as small as the ones that surrounded her college in Oregon, but it was still too small for her preference even though it was where she had grown up. However, it was a safe haven. After a ten minute drive, Sophie and her dad reached the family's orange groves. The air was filled with the sweet smell of orange wood and the earthy small of damp soil as they stepped out of the truck. Immediately, the pair went to work pulling out large limbs that had been recently trimmed off the trees. Sophie was used to this kind of labor, ever since she was in elementary school, her and her family had come out to the groves and because of this, Sophie had developed a strong and lean body.

After an hour or so, the pair decided to take a break. Sophie's dad tossed her an orange which he had pluck off one of the trees.

"Are you still job hunting?" asked Sophie's dad ask he began peeling his orange. Sophie grimace but tried not to let her dad see it. Both Sophie and her dad sat on the tailgate of the pickup truck. Setting her gloves to the side, damp from hauling out wet tree limbs, Sophie began to peel apart her orange, taking her time in answering her dad's question.

"I sent out a few more applications, I'll do some follow up phone calls this afternoon." she said dismissively, hoping that he would drop the subject. He didn't.

"I know that you just graduated and that it's hard to get your footing the job market," he tossed the orange rind to the ground, pausing only briefly, "but I thought that you might have a better chance since you graduated college early."

"I would have thought so too dad, but finding a job has become a lot harder now-a-days," Sophie paused as she bit into a section of her fruit, "besides, you still need help out here in the groves since Gunner isn't here to help you anymore."

"That's because he has a job."

"You know as well as I that the military is not an ideal job right now." He frowned and remained silent, knowing that she was right. Even though the attack on New York was a few months ago the danger still lingered. Sophie knew that her older brother's safety weighed on her father's mind every day and she regretted bringing up Gunner in the first place. In truth, Sophie hadn't sent out any applications or resumes. This was for two reasons: firstly, she felt uncomfortable leaving her dad to work in the orange groves after his heart attack; secondly, Sophie had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. Her communications major was a broad major that opened up a lot of business fields to her, but she felt like she didn't belong in any of those fields nor would she be happy in them, but she wasn't about to tell her dad this.

The pair ate their oranges in silence and quietly stood up to continue the manual labor, all while Sophie kept a close eye on her father. After a few more hours spent in the groves, Sophie and her dad packed up the truck and left back home for lunch.

"Thank you for your help today Soph, I know that this keeps you from your job hunt, but I promise to pay you for your work today."

"Dad, you know that you don't have to do that. I'm not worried about the money."

"You've worked quite a bit and I haven't paid you yet so I will run to the bank and pull some money out for you." said her dad, effectively ignoring her. Sophie decided to drop the subject.

"Are you going out for coffee today?" she asked, he nodded.

"Yes. Why? Did you need something from me?" they were just pulling in and as they stepped out of the truck, Sophie could hear Sten and Jarl barking frantically inside.

"No, I was just wondering." They walked into the warm house and were greeted by the excited yips and waggling tails of the two dogs. Sophie and her dad meandered into the kitchen and made their lunches. As they sat down to eat Sophie's dad asked,

"What were you watching this morning?"

"Just the news, I was curious to know how far along the rebuilding of New York is." Sophie answered looking down at the two dogs who were staring up longingly at the food. "It's been slow so far because all of these freak snow storms have been setting them back."

"That's unfortunate." he said as he snuck a piece of bread to Jarl who had been resting his head on his lap.

"They were also discussing the Avengers as well." Sophie continued.

"All I can say is I'm glad that these . . . people . . . were able to stop the attack and save many of the citizens there." Sophie knew where her dad's unspoken thoughts had gone. Gunner had been called in as part of the first defense against the invading creatures and he had narrowly escaped death with the help of the Avengers. But Sophie couldn't help but furrow her brow and wrinkle her nose.

"I don't know dad, we know little to nothing about these 'people,' other than Tony Stark. I'm not sure that I'm totally comfortable knowing that there are beings on this planet with this much power."

"But power is not good or bad. What truly matters are the people who wield that power. It can change a person certainly, making them more responsible or more dependent on it. But in the end, the choices that people make with that power they have are what have lasting impacts." Sophie nodded but she couldn't completely agree with what her dad was saying although she understood where he was coming from. She tossed a bit of her leftover lunch to the dogs and went to shower and change out of her work clothes into some sweats. When she came out of her room her dad regarded- her attire.

"You're not going out today?" he asked. She shook her head. He left it at that and left to go for coffee with his friend, leaving Sophie alone in the company of Sten and Jarl. She started a fire in the fireplace and sat down in the armchair next to it. Sten hopped up on her lap and Jarl curled up at her feet.

"How is daddy sleeping these nights?" Sophie asked Sten as she smoothed down his wiry fur. Sten only looked at her and tilted his head. As much as he tried to hide it, Sophie knew that her dad barely slept anymore and when he did he would wake with night terrors. It began happening after New York. Sophie had been plagued with nightmares every so often as well. The fear of losing Gunner had not dissipated for both of them but even more so for her dad.

"Still not well, huh?" Sophie said as if the dog in her lap had responded to her. Sometimes she preferred the company of animals as opposed to humans. Animals didn't interrupt or judge. Sten and Jarl simply listened and loved unconditionally. Sophie was glad for that because they were all her dad had when she left. She sighed heavily and pulled her hair from her pony tail and shook it out. The warmth of the small dog on her lap and the smell of the fire relaxed her and pulled Sophie into slumber.

* * *

Elsewhere, another father was discussing the future with his offspring. Thor and Odin strode the halls of the Asgard palace in stern discussion of the unrest in the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil.

"Do to the interferences of the traitor, dark forces have awakened within the Nine Realms and I fear that peace maybe swiftly coming to an end." Odin's powerful voice echoed through the hallway. Two ravens griped onto either side of his shoulders, their feather reflecting in the golden light of the palace like tar.

"Father," Thor's baritone voice was full of weariness and trepidation, "is it truly the fate of the Nine Realms that the peace holding them together should end so soon?"

"It is foretold." Odin said with finality, "In the days to come, wars and disasters will be what we encounter. We must face these with strength and acceptance." Thor knew the wisdom of his father. It seemed as if the great tree Yggdrasil was in its autumn and the occupants of the realms were growing restless. The Asgardians were occupied in each of the Nine Realms trying to settle disputes and rebellions. Along with all of this, earthquakes, floods, and blizzards decimated the landscapes.

"Surely you cannot believe that we are at the end of the age?" asked Thor with trepidation.

"I can't say for certain my son." Odin replied with a heavy heart. "We can only hope that this is just but the remnants of the traitor's rebellion." Thor was skeptical once again.

"Father, it seems unjust that you should burden him with everything that is happening within the Nine Realms."

"No, but I do blame him for Midgard." he grumbled, "Nevertheless, the chaos and the rebellions must be squelched. It is the duty of us as Asgardians to . . ." Odin's authoritative voice continued to droll on and Thor continued to stare straight ahead. But despite the foreboding nature of the conversation, Thor couldn't help but let his thoughts wander to one of the realms in particular, to the seemingly insignificant Midgard and to one inhabitant in particular. His last excursion to the realm had prevented him from seeing her again and the visit was all too short and hecktic. Thor constantly felt the aching worry for Jane and loneliness inside his gut whenever his thoughts turned towards her. With her easy smile and passion for her work, she was truly an admirable human.

Suddenly a loud and hoarse caw dragged Thor from his meandering thoughts to the hall that he had been walking in with his father. His thoughts had drifted so much that he hadn't even noticed that one of the ravens had left its perch on Odin's shoulder and had griped to Thor's. Odin, who had moved a few paces ahead of Thor, faced him with a deadly serious glare from his single eye. The slightest bit of shame took hold of Thor for a moment. Odin's spear, Gungnir, reverberated against the pillars as Odin dropped its heel to the ground with a sharp thud. The piercing gaze of the twin raven, still perched on Odin's other shoulder, regarded Thor in its human-like manor. Odin's voice was low as he spoke sternly to his son.

"You seem as if you do not take this seriously, my son." Thor stood up and straightened his shoulders, the ancient bird adjusting its perch in accordance.

"I do take this gravely father. If you wish it, I shall go to the realms in order to secure the peace for as long as I possibly can." Thor fought back the weariness that threatened to take hold but he knew that this was the duty of the heir and future king.

Odin turned his back on Thor and proceeded to walk away from him, the raven on Thor's shoulder gliding off after him.

"You travel to Vanaheim in a fortnight." As Odin's form grew more distant he was joined by a guard and a woman warrior, a Valkyrie, who followed him silently out of the hall.

* * *

Far below the palace, where the glittering gold of the halls was exchanged for dull stones, the restlessness of the realms remained present. Prisoners paced in their cells, fights would often break out between parties, and more and more prisoners were being brought in, which only added fuel to the fire. The guards constantly had their hands full between breaking up the fights and bringing in more prisoners. Only one prisoner felt at ease in the chaos. He sat in his private cell quietly observing what was going on around him, a quiet smirk playing on his sharp features. This small dwelling place was only temporary for him, all he had to do was be patient, and though it wasn't his strongest quality, he had a lot of time to learn it. After all, he had nothing but time down here. As a particularly loud dispute began to heat up in another cell, he listened with slight interest before picking up a book and turning his thoughts inward. He was also affected by the unease. It coursed through his blood and down in his core he knew something was going to happen, something much larger and sinister than his own mischievous doings on Midgard and it filled him with anticipation.

All Loki had to do was wait.


	2. Chapter 2 Foreboding

Foreboding

 **A/N:** Characters' paths are starting to cross. Loki's role becomes more prominent and we meet up with Jane!

* * *

 _Sophie stood on a dark and barren plain. The sky shrouded with a thick blanket of clouds. The air was still. The whole world seemed gray as granite and obsidian created a scale like surface. The plain seemed devoid of sound. All of Sophie's senses seemed muffled, as if she was underwater. But slowly, they began to awaken. Walking forward with seemingly no purpose, the jagged rocks cut into her bare feet and she could feel the overwhelming pain but she could not make herself stop. Snow began to lightly dust the ground. As she walked further and further out on to the plain, the cold air ensnared her lungs and encased her body in an unrelenting grip. A strong odor permeated the air, sulphur and iron. Looking around, Sophie realized that she was in a valley and atop the valley walls there seemed to be giant rock pillars but as she looked closer, she realized that they were armies. Drums began to faintly reverberate around the basin of the valley and mad yells and chanting rose in the air to deafening proportions._

 _She was standing in the middle of a battle field._

 _Sophie began to panic and covered her ears in attempt to block out the sound. The two armies began to rush down the slopes towards each other, towards Sophie. She tried to run. The rocks cut deeper into her feet. Suddenly the ground became wet and slippery and she fell. Her arms reached out to break her fall and were met by the knife-like rocks. Roars from the armies and the clashing of metal muted out her agonized scream. Her vision soon focused on a single red ribbon that stood out against the black and gray of the rocks. It was tattered and frayed. Suddenly, a searing white hot pain erupted from her wrist._

Sophie woke with a jolt to see her dad's hand on her left. The gentle look that had painted his face quickly changed to concern.

"Are you ok, Soph?" Looking around, Sophie noticed that Sten was sitting upright and Jarl had placed his head on her lap, whining with concern. Sophie's heart was still pounding in her chest and she still felt the faint burning pain in her hand which her dad now held. Regaining her composer, she looked over at her dad and nodded. "I didn't mean to wake you up like that. I know that you don't like being woken roughly."

"No, no, dad you're fine. It was just a bad dream, that's all."

Looking down at her, he asked "Can you tell me what it was about?" She shook her head and said that she couldn't remember. Her dad grimaced and left it at that.

It had grown darker outside. The weather apparently hadn't improved while she slept.

"Did you just get back from coffee?"

"No, I've been back for a while. I was working on some bills. I was just waking you to ask what you wanted for dinner." Sophie frowned, but she tried to pick up the dreary mood that the weather had caused.

"We have the tri-tip in the fridge, how does that sound?" a weary smile crossed her dad's face.

"I suppose that sounds good." He glance over at the clock, it was 3:32. Looking out the window he asked, "Did you by chance see what the weather was going to be like."

Sophie stood up and walked over to where her dad was and nudged him with her shoulder. "Well the meteorologist said that it's supposed to be foggy in the morning but sunny for the rest of the day, but you know that you can't always trust the weather person." She teased, but her dad tsked and walked away to start working on the meat. He had slipped into a quiet mood. Sophie felt as if a heavy block had been pressed on her chest, as though it was her fault that he was like this. Breathing a heavy sigh, she went over to the fridge and brought out some herbs, garlic, and butter to make some garlic bread but noticed that there was, in fact, no bread.

"Shit." She muttered as she dug through the freezer just in case they had put any in there.

"What?" asked her dad.

"We don't have any bread for the garlic bread. I'm going to run to the store real quick to grab some."

Sophie's dad nodded his head as he seasoned the tri-tip. "That's fine, but be careful out there in case it starts to rain."

"I will, dad." She grabbed her keys and purse and headed out to her truck.

As he watched Sophie pull out of the driveway, Sophie's dad slid the tri-tip into the oven and washed his hands. His hand passed through his gray, thinning hair and he sighed deeply. Walking over to his desk he sat down wearily. He opened his glasses case and picked up a letter. He only needed to read a few words on it: "progressed rapidly," "level 4," "brain." The numbness he felt showed on his features. He had tried to hide it from Sophie for quiet sometime. It wasn't until he went in for his heart attack that the doctors noticed something was wrong and after examining him they found a tumor in his brain. He stared at the black letters "cancer" for a very long time before folding up the letter again and sliding it into the shredding machine.

* * *

After grabbing some French bread and snagging a chocolate cake, Sophie made her way out of the grocery store and to her truck. _This should cheer him up for sure_ , she thought to herself with a smile as she gentle placed the cake on the floor boards. Because she lived a ways out of town, the drive back home took about twenty minutes. She turned on the radio and began blasting Van Halen in her truck. As she pulled out of the parking lot a light rain had started. Driving further down the road, the rain picked up and soon it was as though someone had turned on a shower head which forced the California drivers, unfamiliar with weather, to slow down. Sophie growled at the traffic and muttered curses under her breath. Driving in this weather was nothing new to her after going to school in Oregon for a while, and it was really a breath of fresh air.

Up ahead, Sophie noticed a car on the side of the road. A small figure was under the open hood peering in with a phone in their ear. No one had bothered to pull over to give them a hand and Sophie flicked on her blinked and pulled over to the other side of the road where the broken down car was at. As Sophie trudged over in the rain she noticed that it was a small petite woman who was stranded on the side of the road. She had dark chocolate hair and eyes to match.

"Yes, Darcy, I did try to turn it on! It won't turn over!" The woman yelled on the phone over the rain and passing traffic. Sophie came up beside her.

"Hi, do you need help?" The woman looked up surprised at Sophie and smiled a beautiful smile.

"Oh! Thank you so much! My car stalled and now the engine won't turn over do you mind trying to help me jump it?" Sophie said of course and the woman grabbed some jumper cables from the trunk of her car still talking on the phone, "What? NO! There's no way he can help! He's millions of miles away! I don't think he would help me with the car, he doesn't know the first thing about cars . . . NO MJOLNIR DOES NOT WORK LIKE THAT!" Sophie clamped her mouth shut and tried not to laugh as she began hooking up the cables to her truck which was already facing the other car. The woman said a few more things over the phone before angrily tossing it into the car.

"Boyfriend not good with cars, ay?" Sophie asked smirking. The other woman laughed.

"I guess you could say that. Thank you so much for your help by the way, I truly appreciate it." Sophie waved her hand dismissively.

"It's no problem, really. But if your car isn't turning over there must be something wrong with the transmission." The woman nodded in agreement.

"In the meantime," the other woman said looking up at the sky, "we should probably wait in our cars before we drown in this rain."

Sophie smiled, "Good idea!" she said as she hopped into her truck and started up the battery. She pulled out her phone and texted her day saying that she was on her way home but helping someone with car troubles. After a while Sophie got out and told the woman to try to start her car but to no avail.

"By the nine!" she cursed slamming her hands on the steering wheel. Sophie took note of the odd saying but shook her head dismissing it.

"I think that you'll have to call a tow truck, unfortunately." Sophie said sympathetically, "If you want, you can come over to my place while your car is being worked on." She offered. The woman's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Oh no, I simply couldn't impose on you. Besides, I have very important equipment and it would just make a mess." But Sophie wouldn't have it.

"No, don't worry about it. Go ahead and call the tow let me give you their number." The woman looked at her gratefully and began punching in the numbers on her phone. After she set up a tow truck to come out, Sophie helped the woman carry a bunch of her science equipment over to her truck. After the tow truck came and picked up her car, both of the girls huddled into Sophie's truck.

"So I don't believe that I caught your name . . ." said Sophie as she pulled back into traffic.

"It's Jane Foster, and you?"

"Sophie Gunvaldsson, it's nice to meet you Jane." Jane smiled at Sophie, "So what's all that equipment for back there?" Sophie asked curiously.

"Oh I'm an astrophysicist and I use that equipment to track different molecular disturbances and anomalies that connect to different astro-plains. Those instruments measure molecular density and converts them to small electromagnetic waves so therefore . . ." Jane suddenly stopped when she noticed the glazed over look in Sophie's eyes, "I'm sorry, I got carried away there." Sophie blinked a few times and looked at Jane briefly.

"Don't be sorry! This is your work and passion and that is nothing to be ashamed of. I'm just not very good at that kind of stuff. I only took a few science classes and they were basic at best." Jane laughed at Sophie's good natured reply

"So what do you do then?" asked Jane.

"Well, I'm not technically employed at the moment. I just graduated from a liberal arts institution up in Oregon where I majored in Communication Arts." Now it was Jane's turn to be a bit confused.

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of job would you pursue with that kind of degree?"

Sophie shrugged it was a common question she got when people asked about her degree. "You could really do almost anything with it. Every business needs someone who can 'communicate' well. But I'm not exactly sure what path I want to take just yet." Jane nodded in understanding. The two chatted some more until they arrived at Sophie's house.

"I hope you like dogs." Sophie chuckled as she and Jane pulled into the driveway. Both of the women ran like men trying to get all of the instruments out of the rain and into a dry place in the car port.

"You go and get some bread and you bring a person back home with you." Sophie's dad chuckled as the two sopping wet girls walked into the house. Sten and Jarl bounded towards the two and sniffed curiously at Jane and the bags that Sophie held. He shooed them away and took the bags from Sophie.

"Well I brought some chocolate cake to make up for it." Sophie said with a bright smile, she noticed that he was in a slightly better mood, but that may have been because he was trying to save face for Jane. He greedily took out the cake and laughed manically.

"Tonight we feast!" he looked over and Jane and extended his hand "Hello, my name is Ralph Gundvaldsson, and you are . . ."

"Jane Foster," she replied, "You're daughter was kind enough to help me out with my situation. I'm sorry to be such a burden." Sophie and her dad waved away her apologies.

"Come on Jane, I'll lend you some of my sweats so you don't have to stand around in drenched clothing, although," Sophie paused looking over Jane, "they might be a tad big on you." Jane was just a little taller than Sophie's eye level but she was a bigger build than Jane. Sophie ushered her to the back of the house so that the pair could change right before dinner.

* * *

A dull clinking sound bounced against the stone walls of the prison. Loki sat with his back against a wall with his eyes glazed over. He was daftly rolling a metal cup on the ground with the slightest touch of his finger, his boredom getting the better of him. The barrier that surrounded his cell limited his abilities severely, though he could still conjure illusions inside his cell. His dark hair had become more disheveled and his simple clothing took away from his naturally noble appearance. From time to time he found entertainment in playing mind games with the guards who came down to observe the dangerous creature in its cage. He would throw up illusions of swarming ravens, rats crawling out of the walls, or, if he was not particularly fond of the guard, he would create the illusion of the guard themselves going mad in the cell as they tried to claw at the walls and laughing like a lunatic. Some guards couldn't take it anymore down there with him and were transferred to a different post. Other guards, however, had grown accustomed to his illusions and began to ignore them. This disappointed Loki because now he had to think of new ways to entertain himself, and his options were limited. He thought he would go mad with boredom. No visitors ever came to him other than Frigga every so often but he became more irritated with her visits via illusion because he knew that she was doing nothing to try to free him from his captivity.

As Loki sat there with insanity encroaching on his mind, a familiar, foreboding voice whispered in his ear.

 _I told you that there would be nowhere for you to hide where we would not find you._ If Loki's heart could get any colder, it would have in that moment. Thanos' menacing smile could be heard in his voice as he spoke to Loki through his mind. The cup that he had been toying with rolled out of his frozen hand with a clatter.

 _I have already been captured and imprisoned by the Asgardians, what use would it be for you to end my life while I am in this state?_ Loki replied, feigning malice as he attempted to hide the cold hand of fear wrapping around his heart. A deep throated laugh echoed around the recesses of his mind.

 _How keen you are little frost giant._ Mocked Thanos, _I have no use for you if you are dead. I am in need of your . . . abilities once more_. As much Loki wished to refuse Thanos and rot in his cell instead, he knew that he could easily drive Loki to the abyss of madness and push him down into its dark depths leaving him as a writhing lunatic. The push wouldn't be that hard in Loki's current state.

 _What use am I in a cage?_ Loki asked hesitantly.

 _Not much use at all,_ Thanos replied, _I am providing you with a means of escape._ Loki's eyes narrowed in confusion. _I will grant you limited use of my power for one hour. You must make your escape within that time or your usefulness will have run out for me._ Loki could feel the unbridled energy of Thanos' power flow through him and couldn't help but flex his fingers as mad smile broke out on his face. _You are to come to me immediately. And if you decide to crawl away and hide . . ._ Images flashed through his head. Memories of pain and agony as he was relentlessly tortured for months on end flashed through his mind and his hand unconsciously wrapped around his scarred forearm.

 _I understand_. Came Loki's defeated response. Thanos' presence suddenly drained from him leaving him alone in the prison. But accompanied with just sliver of Thanos' power, Loki suddenly felt more like himself again after being trapped behind that damned ward.

He knew what he had to do and luck was on his side as one of the newer guards came down the steps. Loki quickly threw up an illusion of his body lying on the floor motionless and another guard standing over it. The new guard quickly became alarmed and called out to the illusion he saw before him.

"What happened to the prisoner?" He demanded as he stepped closer to the shimmering cell walls. The illusion looked out at the guard and Loki mimicked the husky voice that he had heard another guard speak with.

"The Alfather, made a mistake of letting this traitor live. There was no reason to keep him alive and this was the best opportunity to dispose of him." The guard on the outside of the cell stepped within centimeters of the cell wall. Shock widened his eyes.

"You should not have questioned the Alfather's judgement, there was a pur—" his words were cut off by Loki who had trust his hand through the ward on the cell and wrapped his fingers around the guard's throat breaking the illusion. Sheer panic and terror flashed into the guard's eyes. Then a loud _crack_ sounded and the guard fell limp. Loki carelessly tossed his body into the cell while stepping out of it himself. A surge of energy rushed back to him as the effects of the ward no longer limited his powers. He threw an illusion over the body in his own likeness while he donned the illusion of the foolish guard and strolled out of the dungeons feeling his powers increase more and more with the aid of Thanos' borrowed power.

Loki retrieved his own daggers from the armory and made his way out into the main halls of the palace. Attempting to hide his wicked grin, he made his way to the docks to prepare a vessel to take him through a secret pathway to Thanos. For a brief moment, as he took control of the craft, a thought passed through his mind.

 _When Thanos is finished with you he will dispose of you._ He gripped the oar tightly, alternatives flashing quickly through his head. Loki could speak with Frigga, _I cannot trust her, not anymore_. He thought bitterly, remembering how she just stood by while he faced Odin in chains. Loki began thinking about different realms that he could escape to when, suddenly, asphyxiation took his lungs and captured his breath.

 _I will find you._ The cold voice of Thanos whispered. _Consider this a warning. You should make hast to me!_ Loki's lungs sucked in air as he was released. Anger and frustration bloomed in his chest but he knew that there was nothing he could do. He sat in silence for a moment before releasing a frustrated growl and pointing the vessel towards the pathway that linked Asgard to Thanos' realm of darkness.

* * *

** Alright more Loki! Next chapter I promise that Loki will meet up with some more characters (ie Sophie and Jane) tell me what you guys think and where you would like to see this go ;)


	3. Chapter 3: Bound

**Bound**

Alright! Here is the next chapter. This one was taking me a little longer than expected and I almost didn't have Loki and Sophie meet in this one. But I promised that I would have them meet up, and they certainly have.

 **Bubin:** Thank you for my first follow!

 **Am4444:** Woohoo for the favorite! I hope the rest of the story is just as satisfying to you

 **Dragoncat:** Thank you so much for the review and follow! Here is an even longer chapter for you and I hope that it continues to entertain you ;)

* * *

As Loki drifted out of the dark pathway and into the void plain, a familiar numbness took hold of him. He would not show fear. He would not show hesitancy. To Thanos, emotions like that were weak and weakness was something that Thanos would not tolerate from Loki, certainly not after his failure on Midgard.

Loki had shed his illusion. He knew that he wouldn't have to worry about holding the illusion over the body in the cell for long. They burned their dead prisoners in their cells not long after discovering them. Striding forward with purposeful steps, Loki came to meet the hulking figure of Thanos. His sickly purple skin and his piercing icy gaze made Loki sneer up at him. Thanos leaned down from his great seat and grinned with malice.

"Welcome home, puny god." Loki's hands balled tightly into fists as he fought off the attack on his pride. The chitauri that were scuttling around the rocks cackled at his humiliation. Loki reached out with his newly restored power and brought down a massive boulder on to the nearest chitauri which crushed its legs. Its agonizing scream was cut short when its head was snapped at a disjointed angle, causing it to go limp. Thanos let out an amused laugh as the other chitauri hissed and growled at Loki, dragging away their fallen companion. A cold grin spread across his face as he reveled once again in his powers. Turning back to Thanos, Loki slowly approached him with a guarded expression.

"I am here. What is it you desire of me?" Loki asked with a hint of disdain. Thanos loomed over the god of mischief.

"Do not forget that it is by my power you stand before me now. Nevertheless, you are instrumental in my future plans." Thanos stood up from his seated position and came to stand next to Loki urging him in the direction of a new dark pathway. "You have felt it, have you not?"

"The waning of Yggdrasil? Yes, I have heard about the turmoil that the Nine Realms are currently suffering." Replied Loki nonchalantly. Thanos and Loki stepped through the dark pathway. Stars and space swirled around them briefly before they both arrived on a mountainous plain. The air was stifling and noxious gas clung to the ground of volcanic rock. Loki unconsciously brought a hand to his nose in an attempt to block out the putrid smell of sulphur and iron. They stood before the dark maw of a cave. Thanos led the way and Loki followed hesitantly, wondering if Thanos was leading him into a trap. Extending his hand out in front of him, a small but light of energy emitted once again from his palm.

"The Midgardians may have taken the physical tesseract, but I still hold a piece of its power. How do you think the Chitauri scepter gained its energy?" Thanos said answering Loki's silent question. Despite the overwhelming heat from outside the cave, as they traveled further and further down into the chasm, the air became cold. Loki became lost in his thoughts and hadn't noticed that Thanos had suddenly stopped until he almost ran into him. And then he saw it, a massive wolf lying on the ground breathing heavily, its gray and black fur matted and mangy. As the light from the tesseract energy revealed the creature, its eyes turned to Thanos and then to Loki. When the wolf saw him it attempted to leap forward and snap at him with its enormous jaws. Loki jerked back instinctively. It panted and snarled at the intruders and it strained at its bonds, blood and saliva dripping from its lips. Wrapped around one of his back legs was a single red ribbon which was bound to a boulder keeping the giant wolf in place. Loki stood in front of the legendary wolf fulling comprehending the implications of Thanos' ultimate plan, and it shook him to the core. He understood his role in Thanos' plan.

"It is time," Thanos said, "Fenrir." The beast thrashed wildly with anticipation before approaching Loki, his snout a meter away from Loki's ridged body. Fenrir breathed heavily on him, the smell of his putrid breath was revolting.

" _Ragnarök_ _approaches._ " The deep and ancient voice of the wolf shook the walls, " _The fate of the gods is at hand and you shall bring it about_."

* * *

Sophie and Jane sat in the living room sipping on glasses of "after dinner" wine. Sten had contented himself on Jane's lap and Sophie stroked Jarl's head as he lay beside her on the couch. Sophie's dad had already gone to bed. She had taken Jane to the car shop before dinner to check up on Jane's car and received the disappointing news that the car would be in for repairs for at least a week. Sophie and her dad had graciously invited Jane to stay with them and she reluctantly accepted.

"I would've been fine staying in a hotel. I feel that I'm imposing on you guys." Jane said apologetically for the third time. Sophie rolled her eyes.

"I couldn't possibly let you leave. Besides, Sten likes you far too much." Sophie chuckled and Jane smiled as the small terrier yawned contently in her lap.

"I suppose if it's alright with you and your dad. Perhaps your property would be a good place to begin some of my testing."

"Go right ahead, we have plenty of space." Sophie took a sip of her wine. "By the way, what brought you out here to this place in the middle of nowhere? If you're driving to LA you're pretty far from the I-5." Jane set down her glass and shifted her position in the arm chair. Reluctance shone in her eyes briefly before seeming to come to a decision.

"I'm looking for someone, or rather, a way to get to him. I have been using my equipment to measure molecular disturbances between different realms and I have followed them here. I believe that there is a strong possibility that this area is where a strong connection between realms may happen very soon." Sophie stared at Jane who was biting her lip waiting for her reaction. Taking a bigger gulp of wine, Sophie set down her own glass and leaned forward toward Jane.

"So," she paused gathering her thoughts, "if a pathway to one of these . . . 'realms' opens up, who do you expect to find?" Jane twisted her hands together nervously, praying that she wasn't as crazy as she knew she sounded.

"Someone who is very dear to me." she said softly, "I wasn't sure if it was possible to see him again until a few months ago when I saw him on TV in New York fighting off the attack." Sophie's mind raced as she attempted to connect the dots. Suddenly, it clicked in her mind.

"Oh my god!" she gasped, "Thor?! He's your boyfriend?" Jane looked down sheepishly and smiled. Sophie leaned back against the couch in shock for a moment and then laughing she asked, "So how on Earth did you meet a god?"

"Well, he's not a god, per se—"

"Wait, he's an alien?" Sophie asked confused.

"Well, in the technical sense being that he is not from this planet. He comes from a realm known as Asgard and Midgard is what he refers to Earth as. We met right before the New Mexico event, but at that time he was just about as mortal as you or me." Jane continued to explain the events of the New Mexico incident. "The last time I held him was before he left back to Asgard to confront his brother, Loki. I had no idea what happened to him or why he never returned to me, but I knew he was okay and this was confirmed when I saw him with the Avengers in New York." The entire time, Sophie had been listening with intense interest.

"And now you are searching for a way to get back to him now that his brother has been stopped?"

"Yes, I'm not just going to stand around waiting for him to return. I'm not that kind of person." Jane had slid Sten off her lap and was beginning to walk around the living room.

"Man, that sounds so amazing. You have the ability to go out and pursue your desires with a clear focus." said Sophie as she poured herself another glass of wine, "I wish I had that much clarity about my future."

"Everyone at your age feels the same way." Said Jane, smiling back at Sophie, "You'll soon know what path you are meant to take." She had stopped in front of a picture of Gunner in his military uniform a silver amulet hung round the picture. Sophie came to stand beside Jane.

"My brother, Gunner." She said, answering Jane's thoughts, "He has been serving in the military for four years now." Jane held the amulet between her fingers. It was shaped like and upside down "T" with scrollwork along the surface. Jane noticed that despite its size, it was still fairly heavy.

"What's this?"

Sophie smirked. "It's a family heirloom passed down through the generations to the eldest child. Ironically, that amulet is 'Thor's hammer,' Mjolnir. The amulet is supposed to be a symbol of power and protection as well as a reminder of our heritage." Jane's eyes widened as she observed the piece of jewelry.

"So, then are you descended from Asgardians?" The laugh that came from Sophie was a little too loud and she quickly checked herself in order to not wake her dad or embarrass Jane.

"No, not at all. My family comes from Sweden. My grandparents came to the States after they had just married."

"Oh, I see." Jane replied with interest.

The two girls chatted some more while they finished their wine. Eventually, the wine made their minds and bodies heavy and they both agreed that it was time to go to bed. Sophie put Jane in the guest room, which was Gunner's old room, and Sophie crawled into her own bed after setting her alarm to wake her up early to head out to the groves once again. After a few moments of lying in darkness, the heaviness of sleep took her.

* * *

Far off on the edge of Yggdrasil, Loki was perched on a rock sharpening one of his daggers with a whetstone. He was deep in thought. His mind was racing with alternatives, outcomes, and options. With Thor occupied in the various realms keeping the peace and the Asgardians believing him to be dead, he was free to move about unhindered. Even Heimdall's gaze was directed towards the ever surmounting chaos within the Nine Realms.

Observing his freshly sharpened blade with satisfaction, he sheathed it and began to work on the sister dagger. His mind once again turned towards Fenrir and his words, " _Ragnarök_ _approaches_." As a child, Loki and Thor had been told stories of Ragnarök by an elderly palace guard seeking to scare them.

" _Out there beyond the branches of Yggdrasil, the giant beast Fenrir lies deep in a cave. When he was free to wreak havoc in the Nine Realms, he brought death and destruction in his wake." said the guard in a crackling voice. Loki sat in a corner with a book only half interested in what the guard was saying while Thor listened to the old man, hanging on his every world. The guard continued his story with a dramatic flair, "It was also said that this creature would bring about the Ragnarök." Thor gasped, Loki rolled his eyes and flipped the page in his book, "The Asgardians knew this and feared what may come to pass and decided to subdue the creature. But Fenrir was wise enough to know that the Asgardians wished to restrain him. When they approached him and presented him with chains, they said it was a test of his might. They challenged the great wolf and said that if he was truly strong, he could easily break the chain. So Fenrir accepted the challenge and broke the chain with ease. The Asgardians came to him a second time with a stronger chain and challenged him again, and once again he broke the chain." Despite himself, Loki slowly found that he was listening to the guard with keen interest. Thor hadn't even taken his eyes from him. "For the third challenge, the Asgardians sought the help of the dwarves' fine craftsmanship skills. They crafted a restraint that they claimed was unbreakable and they handed over a single red ribbon to the Asgardians. When Fenrir saw this he became skeptical and challenged the Asgardians in turn. One of them must place their hand into his jaws and if the restraint was unbreakable," the guard pause and drew in a drag from his pipe that he was smoking, both Loki and Thor waited with anticipation to hear the rest of the story, "he would exact payment. The only one brave enough to face Fenrir's fangs was Tyr, a brave warrior. The creature once again allowed himself to be retrained, but when he found that no matter how much he strained and fought against the fine ribbon, he could not break free. In his anger, he ripped the hand of Tyr and devoured it whole!" He said dramatically to the two boys who listened eagerly to his tale. "Now the great beast waits in his dark prison until the day of Ragnarök, when he will devour the sun and moon and exact his revenge upon the Nine Realms."_

" _Surely," Thor pipped up haughtily, "a weak and petty ribbon would not be capable of holding back a creature of such strength like Fenrir. I think that you are making this up." The boy crossed his arms doubtingly at the guard who just laughed and petted the pretty golden locks of the boy._

" _Weakness is a type of strength in itself." replied the guard. Thor looked at him confused. Loki then spoke up._

" _If the ribbon is truly unbreakable, how then will he be freed to begin Ragnarök?" The guard looked up from Thor and coldness entered his eyes._

" _The creature will be freed by the spilling of mortal blood." Scrutinizing him one last time, the elderly guard stood up and informed the two boys that they had better go find their mother before they get into trouble. Loki suddenly decided that he did not like that guard and that his story must have been false, a cheap means of getting a scare out of the two boys. Thor, however, devoured the story hook, line, and sinker._

" _When Fenrir is released, I shall defeat him without losing my hand unlike the foolish Tyr!" Thor scoffed. Loki snorted disapprovingly._

" _You will believe anything you hear, brother. Do not be such a dolt and take to heart everything that guard said." Loki received a slight push from Thor which he returned and soon the brothers were throwing punches at each other until Frigga found the two and came over to break them up._

Loki's mind came back to the present as he polished his blade with an oiled cloth. The curved blade glinted with silver light. Setting the dagger down in his lap, he considered what he had to do. After the destruction of Yggdrasil, Thanos had said that he would grant the god of mischief his own throne, but Loki knew that he would still be bond to obey Thanos, which meant that he would truly have no power of his own.

In order to bring about Ragnarök, Thanos had charged Loki with the ultimate sacrifice that would release the beast Fenrir and bring down his wrath upon the Nine Realms. He thought about his exchange with Thanos after they had exited the cave.

"Truly, it is only a small task." Thanos said, his voice dark with humor, "After the thousands of lives that you took on Midgard, what is one more pathetic mortal life?"

"Why do you need me for this task, surely you can do this yourself." Loki replied bluntly.

"Alas," he feigned disappointment, "it is not by my blade which would bring about Ragnarök, but rather the blade of the god of lies and mischief." Loki was still hesitant and Thanos goaded some more. "I am offering you a throne of power greater than that of the tiny realm of Midgard, a throne that you were meant to rule from. All of your life you have been looked down upon by the Asgardians. Odin was never a father to you and Thor was the golden child, even in exile. The power of the Nine Realms is distributed to those who are too weak to wield it. I simply seek to rebalance the power to those who are more worthy. But this is only possible with your aid." Thanos rested a heavy hand on Loki's shoulder which made the god feel small and powerless. He desperately sought power and validation for his ability to rule. If one life was going to grant him this, so be it. In fact, he knew exactly what life was most forfeit.

Standing up from the stone face that he was perched on, Loki used his power to search for the individual that he had seen through the eyes of the Destroyer. A small woman who had been with Thor and for whom he had a deep attachment to would be the sacrifice. Thor would be made to suffer by Loki's hands in the way that only he could provide, and revenge would be sweet. For all of the times that he was overshadowed and humiliated by the brute, he would personally show him his weakness and just how unfit he was to take the throne of Asgard. It didn't take long for him to find the woman on Midgard, and when he saw her, a sinister smile spread across his lips. Overcoming his trepidation for the events to come, Loki found a path that would lead him straight to the woman of Thor and walked into the void.

* * *

Jane woke up to the sound of screaming. She bolted straight up in her bed and rushed into Sophie's room. Sophie was already up with the light on.

"Sophie! Are you okay? I heard screaming." Sophie reached over and took Jane's hand reassuringly.

"It's alright, my dad suffers from night terrors," she explained, "I'm so sorry that he woke you."

"Oh," Jane breathed slightly relieved but still worried, "will he be okay? Do you need to check on him?" Sophie shook her head.

"I'm afraid that there is nothing I can do to help him, I've already tried many times." She said quietly. Helpless and powerless, Jane nodded with sympathy. Looking over at the clock, Jane noticed that it was almost four in the morning.

"What are you doing up at this hour? Have you been up this entire time?" Jane asked Sophie as she realized that Sophie had to have been up before her dad's night terrors.

"No, I woke up about ten minutes ago. Bad dreams." replied Sophie in a matter-of-fact tone. She patted Jane's hand and told her, "You should go back to bed, sleep in as long as you like." Sophie smile tiredly at Jane. Reluctantly, she headed back to her room and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.

Sophie, on the other hand, could not fall back to sleep. She rubbed her aching hand, still burning from that same dream she had again that night. With a sigh of frustration, Sophie threw off her covers and walked down the hall towards the kitchen. When she passed her dad's room, she heard faint, muffled weeping from the man inside. Her throat constricted as she longed to go in there and comfort him, but she knew that he would just push her away. Stepping back from the door, she continued down the dark hall and into the kitchen. She flicked on the lights and poured herself a glass of water from the sink. The dark brown chocolate lab tiredly walked into the kitchen and looked up at Sophie. She sank to the floor and pulled her knees to her chest, resisting the urge to let her tears flow. Jarl came up to her and licked her hand before settling down on the floor next to her with a huff. Sophie smiled and gently scratched behind Jarl's ear which made him yawn contently.

"Oh Jarl, sometimes I think that you and Sten take better care of us than we do." Sophie sat on the floor with the dog's head next to her leg until the dull light of morning began to brighten up the house, dozing off in a light sleep only a few times.

Jane didn't wake up until about nine in the morning herself. After waking up to the screams of Ralph, Jane's own sleep was riddled with bad dreams filled with images of the Destroyer, the invasion of New York, and Thor's lifeless body. Shaking off sleep, Jane took a shower and got dressed. She walked into the kitchen and discovered a note which read:

 _Out working in the groves with my dad. Help yourself to whatever you find. Be back soon._

Jane decided that this was the best time to work on more of her research. She grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl and quickly went outside to start setting up her equipment. The weather was dense with fog so thick she could barely make out anything twenty feet ahead of her. There was also a chill to the air and the moistness clung to her cheeks. Jane quickly set up her instruments in the field and began writing calculations in her notebook. The equipment, she noticed, seemed to respond strongly in this area. Beaming with happiness, Jane realized just how close she was in reaching a possible area where the Bifrost could possibly touch Earth.

Two hours had passed and as she was deep in her calculations, Jane hadn't noticed a small section of the sky beginning to clear and until a bright light started to pour through the opening. Jane's paperwork fell to the ground as she witnessed the event before her. A figure began to emerge from the column of light and Jane eagerly rushed to meet him when suddenly, a dagger came to her throat.

* * *

Sophie was just pulling into the driveway of her home with Jarl panting happily in the seat next to her. She was covered in mud from digging up some irrigation that day and was anticipating changing into some clean warm cloths. Sophie parked her truck and let Jarl out of the cab. She grabbed the shovels that were in the bed of her truck and began heading to the tool shack to put them away. Her dad had come with her out to the groves but left Sophie to take care of some business and to have coffee with his friends.

Carrying the shovels through the thick fog, Sophie noticed that Jarl was acting strangely. He began sniffing the ground and barking wildly in the direction of back field. Knowing Jarl's habits, Sophie became cautious and walked back to her pickup. Opening the center console, she grabbed a small taser.

"Jarl, watch." Sophie commanded in a low voice as she slipped the device into her back pocket. She still carried a shovel with her as Jarl led her to the back field. As she moved quietly onto the field, she noticed two figures emerge from the fog, one small and petite and the other much taller and had the lean figure of a man. As she got closer, she noticed that the man had his back towards her. His hair was as dark as oil and slightly wavy as it reached his broad shoulders. He wore a long forest green and black tunic which struck Sophie as an odd appearance. She heard him speaking in a low, smooth tone. Jane's frightened and uneven voice contrasted against his.

"What are you doing here?"

"That, Miss. Foster, is truly none of your concern." Replied the silky voice as he pressed his dagger gently against the skin of her throat. Jarl had started to move closer to the figure but Sophie held out a hand.

"You should be in prison back in Asgard, that's where your brother took you."

"And yet here I am, however, you misunderstand my motivations, Miss. Foster." Jane's voice hardened as she tried to fight back the shakiness in her voice.

"Somehow, I doubt that." Sophie came in closer, taking her opportunity while the man had his back to her, and raised the shovel to swing at the trespasser's head.

"Either way, you are coming with—" Sophie swung the shovel with all her might but right before it connected with the man's head, his hand shot out grabbed the handle of the shovel. Jane and Sophie both gasped and Jarl began to madly bark at the man.

"Do you think that I did not know that you and that mutt were not behind me all this time?" He roughly wrenched the shovel from Sophie's hand and threw it out of her grasp. He turned to face her and Sophie looked angrily into his cold green eyes. He frame was a lean build but Sophie didn't doubt the power in his muscles after he had deflected her attack so easily. Sophie was just about to set Jarl on him when, faster than she could blink, she was sent hurtling backwards. The wind rushed out of her in a whoosh as she hit the ground. Jarl immediately jumped at her attacker and latched onto his arm. With a cry of pain he attempted to kick out the legs of the dog and shake him off. This gave Sophie just enough time to get to her feet and pull the taser from her back pocket. Jane caught up in the confusion rushed away from the skirmish and grabbed the shovel from the ground. With a fierce shout, Sophie rushed the man and as her body collided with his she dug the taser into his side. The man fell to the ground from the combined force and before he could recover from the shock of what happened, Jane rushed over with the shovel and knocked him out cold.

Both of the girls fell to the ground and panted heavily, both feeling as if they had just run a marathon. Jarl was still growling and barking at the unconscious man but Sophie told him in a stern voice to heel. As she recovered, Sophie looked over at Jane and asked,

"What on Earth happened? Who was that?" A moment passed before Jane had recovered her breath and spoke to Sophie in a very serious tone.

"Loki, Thor's brother."

* * *

Mwahahaha! I will leave it there, for now! Where is this all going? The story is really writing itself at this point and I feel like I'm just transcribing it for you guys. Leave me some reviews and let me know what you think! I'm going to attempt to upload at least once a week. =)


	4. Chapter 4: Fate

**Fate**

Alright a new chapter! I hope that you all like it and leave me some reviews to let me know if I am going in the right direction!

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 **Garrawolf:** Thank you thank you thank you for the fav and follow! It means so much to me that you favored this story! I hope that you continue to enjoy it! 3

* * *

Upon his dais, Odin sat deep in thought. The death of the fallen prince had come as such a shock to the palace, especially Frigga who had holed herself up in her quarters, refusing to eat. The body had been discovered in the cell and was burned not too long afterwards despite Frigga's pleas to give him a proper funeral. All that could be determined with that the traitor had been found with a broken neck and one of the newer prison guards had been seen leaving the prison not too long before the body was discovered. Something didn't sit right with Odin, however. There appeared to be no sign of a struggle and it seemed strange that Loki would be so easily disposed of by a simple snap of the neck.

A rapid flapping of wings brought Odin from his thoughts and he looked up to see a pair of ravens, Hugin and Munin, gliding towards Odin. He stood up wearily from his throne and began making his way down from the dais. Hugin and Munin came to perch on either of his shoulders.

" _Hail Alfather, Hugin and Munin bring word from their travels throughout Asgard._ " said the wispy voice of Hugin.

" _Indeed, Hugin flew to the west and Munin flew to the east in search of the guard who stole the life from the fallen prince._ " Munin continued in his raspy voice.

"And?" asked Odin impatiently as he continued walking down the corridors of the golden palace.

Hugin shifted uncomfortably on Odin's shoulder. It was Munin who continued to speak, " _There is no sign of the fleeing coward, Alfather_ ," Munin said condescendingly ruffling his feathers.

" _Hugin and Munin feel that this is all passing strange._ " Hugin continued

"Indeed." the Alfather agreed, "Perhaps, my friends, it is better to wait and observed how things play out." He had reached the large golden doors of Frigga's personal chambers.

" _If that is the Alfather's wish, Hugin . . ._ "

". . . _and Munin will obey_." The two birds took flight from Odin's shoulders and flew up to the rafters, their black feathers contrasting sharply with the golden light of the palace.

His hand on the door, Odin hesitated a moment more before pushing it open. Perched on the window sill, a regal woman sat with her hands gentle folded in her lap. She didn't even acknowledge her husband as he moved to kneel beside her.

"My queen." Odin whispered, taking one of her hands in his. Frigga looked down at him, her hazel eyes unreadable. Despite her grief, she still looked and carried the air of a queen. But nonetheless, she was still a mother grieving over the loss of her son. Her honey colored hair fell to her waist in loose elegant curls. Frigga looked through Odin and then turned her gaze back out the window. Odin sighed and looked over and noticed a try of uneaten food sitting on a table. "You must eat, my lady, to keep your health." Frigga stole her hand from his grasp.

"I do not hunger, my lord." Odin's frustration grew at the stubbornness of his wife.

"You cannot lock yourself away in your room and starve yourself." Turning her cold gaze to the Alfather, Frigga stood up, her garments falling gently around her with a faint rustle. She walked passed Odin to the table and poured a glass of honey mead.

"Should I then," challenged Frigga, "walk the halls of the palace in my queenly garments as if nothing happened? The same halls that he grew up in as a child, laughing and playing?" she took a rather unqueenly gulp of the mead. "Is that what your queen would do?" Odin stood and attempted to move towards his wife to comfort her but she turned her back to him, unwilling to be comforted by anyone.

"Frigga," he reached up to touch her shoulder, "I understand how you feel but—"

"Do you? You never showed any love to that boy. You always favored Thor over him. Loki was a bargaining chip to you, a memento of war." She cut Odin off shrugging her shoulder away from his grasp. Odin looked heatedly at Frigga.

"And did you not favor him over our own son, our flesh and blood? Did you not teach him your magic which he misused for his own ends?" Odin replied, his voice rising. Frigga's voice rose to match his.

"I did it because you would not. Had you treated Loki like a son, then perhaps he would not have rebelled against you."

"Do not speak his name, he was a _traitor_." Odin's voice boomed threateningly as he pointed a finger in Frigga's face. But Frigga wouldn't cower before the Alfather.

"He _is_ your son!" She said matching his voice and shoving his finger away, "And if you think that you can speak to me in such a manner then you are no better than a heathen." Frigga slammed her goblet on the table and walked back to the window to look back out at the setting Asgardian sun. There was long silence between the two. The room grew darker and their shadows grew longer in the dying light. Finally, Frigga spoke up quietly.

"You did not even allow me to see his body." Odin came to stand beside her. This time she allowed him to put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"I would rather you keep happier memories of . . . our son, rather than the image I saw in the cell." Frigga's shoulders began to shake as the grief of losing her son took hold of her once again. Her husband wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. They stood together taking comfort in each other's presence until the sun had sunk down below the horizon. The galaxies and the stars shone brightly in the sky that night, but off in the distance there was a storm encroaching on edges of the kingdom. At last Frigga pulled herself away from Odin and he was able to convince her to take a few bits of bread before calling in the handmaidens to prepare her for bed.

As Odin exited the queen's quarters, he was met outside in the hall by a tall woman with long fiery red hair. She wore simple silver battle chainmail around her torso and flowing white linen trousers. Her shoulders were bare to allow room for a pair of soft gray wings which draped down her back like a cape, the tips grazing the ground. Leather bracers wrapped around her forearms with straps that wove up her muscular arm. A simple helmet rested under her arm and she held a spear in her other hand. The lead valkyrie greeted Odin with a formal bow.

"My lord." She hailed in a husky voice.

"Ragnhild," replied Odin in acknowledgement, "what brings you here at this time?" Ragnhild's vivid blue eyes looked up at the Alfather as he passed her; she followed a pace behind him.

"Your highness, in light of the recent attack on the fallen price, it is not safe for you to be alone and unprotected." Odin couldn't help but laugh at the notion of him needing protection.

"Need I remind you, Ragnhild, that I have survived many battles without your protection, but nonetheless, it is nice to have some company right now." A warm smile graced Ragnhild's features. The two warriors walked out onto a balcony overlooking the rest of the kingdom, the blanket of stars lie over their heads. Odin turned towards his comrade.

"How long has it been since we have shared the battlefield together?"

"It feels as if it was only yesterday when our foes fell by our blades," Ragnhild replied, "but perhaps your highness is growing too old if you cannot remember our days of glory." She teased the king. Odin couldn't help but smile at the banter. His conversation with Frigga had darkened his mood.

"I seem to remember quite clearly my superiority with a sword over your skills." A musical laugh rose from the valkyrie's lips.

"Truly, sir, you are losing your memory! For your skills lie with Gungnir and not a broadsword." The Alfather chuckled but once again his thoughts turned towards Frigga and the grief she was in. Weariness took hold of Odin.

"Ragnhild, may I seek your counsel?" he asked quietly. The woman observed the king hesitantly but nodded.

"Of course, my lord, however I am unsure of what guidance I can provide for the Alfather." She said with a smirk. Odin looked at her seriously.

"Was I wrong to imprison my son?" he asked softly, his voice sounding weak. The valkyrie hesitated and ruffled her wings uncomfortably.

"Your highness, I am unfit to give you sound advice. I am neither ruler nor mother. However, if I may?" The king nodded urging her to go on, "In light of the events around Yggdrasil, perhaps it is fate that this should come to pass." Breathing in the night air deeply in contemplation, Odin folded his hands behind his back and looked up into the sky. Ragnhild stood silently by him.

"Perhaps you are right, Ragnhild." murmured Odin clapping her on the shoulder, carefully avoiding her wing. "Fate." He said with a sarcastic smile. "I shall go rest now. I suggest that you do the same."

"I shall accompany you to your chamber, my lord."

* * *

The fog that had surrounded Loki's mind began to clear and a splitting headache took its place. As he slowly began to rise from the murky waters of unconsciousness, he could hear faint voices speaking in hushed tones.

". . . think they are strong enough?" a feminine voice asked. Loki attempted to move his body but found that the murkiness of unconsciousness hadn't released him yet.

"I used the strongest chains I could find. Why wouldn't they hold?" answered another female voice. He strained once again, the fog clearing rapidly and realized that he was tightly bound around the chest, arms, and ankles. His eyes squinted through the darkness and soon two figures began to form in his vision.

"Well I don't know. Thor is pretty strong." Replied the first voice. At the mention of his brother's name, Loki groaned and his vision cleared. Two women were staring down at him in a dark warehouse. One was Thor's favored Midgardian and the other was the one who had attacked him. A scowl crossed his face at the sight of the two. The woman who had attacked him looked down at him angrily, her scowl matching his. She grabbed a chair and it screeched against the cement as she brought it about an arm's length away from him. Thor's woman, Jane, he remember her being called, stood aside pensively.

"Why are you here?" The woman in the chair demanded in a fierce tone. Loki noted how deep of a brown her eyes were, but within their depths were flecks of gold. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her long legs. Loki's scowl turned into a wayward grin.

"Do you think that you can intimidate me, woman?" He tilted his chin up in a cocky manner which seemed to irritate the woman more.

"That's an awfully ironic thing for you to say, considering that you are the one tied up." She said motioning to his chains. His grimace returned. Loki leaned forward as far as his chains would allow. Next to the woman, he heard a low warning growl from the mutt who had torn up his arm earlier, a dull throbbing pain was still there despite the wound being healed over. He glowered at it and then at her.

"Do you think that this is the first time that I have been in chains?" He said in a low voice. Jane looked to the woman nervously but the woman sitting in front of him smirked sarcastically.

"You hear that Jane, Houdini has returned from the dead," she laughed at her own joke, Loki's brow furrowed in confusion, "so how did you escape your other chains?" Now it was Loki's turn to laugh, the god of mischief wouldn't give up his secretes so easily.

"You are truly a naïve little girl." The woman growled and raked a hand through her dark flaxen hair.

"Then tell me why you have trespassed on my property. Why did you threaten Jane?" she demanded. Loki looked down the bridge of his nose at her. He knew he had to carefully choose his words. The wheels in his head spun viciously. Looking over at Jane, he addressed her in a silky voice.

"Do you wish to see Thor again?" He carefully watched Jane as she slightly perked up at the mention of the name, "I could take you to him."

"Why on Earth—"

"Can you really do that?" Jane interrupted. A mischievous grin spread across his lips.

"Jane, he held a knife to your throat and threatened you!"

"I know that Sophie!" Jane snapped, "But it's my only chance to see him again."

The woman, who was called Sophie, raised her voice, "And you would trust him! Need I remind you that he destroyed half of New York? He's a liar, Jane, and we don't know what his plans are with you."

"You are right, Sophie, you don't know that you can trust me. But if I had truly wanted to steal Miss. Foster away or kill her, I would have done so already and you would not have even known." said the silver-tongued man. Sophie turned back to him, pure hatred filled her eyes.

"I don't have to know your plans intimately to know that you are up to no good."

"I can assure you, Sophie," he said through a sardonic smile, "that whatever my intentions are, you, a pathetic mortal, are powerless to stop them." Sophie sucked in her breath sharply. She quickly stood up, toppling the chair that she was sitting in.

To prove a point about just how weak she was, Loki reached out with his power to give her slight push but she didn't react. Confused, he tried again with a stronger push, but she remained steadfast. Instead, she marched closer to him and leveled her eyes with his, placing her hands on either side of the chair arms.

"Well then, I'm sure that you've never had your plans foiled before, have you?" Sophie mocked. Her fingers tightly gripping the chair, Sophie move her face a few mere centimeters from his. The sudden closeness took him aback considering he was expecting the exact opposite to happen. A strong smell of orange blossoms wafted over him and he found it to be rather overwhelming.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something glint around Sophie's neck. His eyes glanced down and he saw the reason why his power hadn't affected her. An ancient Mjolnir amulet dangled on a silver chain, silently mocking him. But a sudden realization struck him. The voice of Thanos was silent. Loki's mind was once again his. Mjolnir, an object that had crippled him for so long, was now be used to his advantage, to further his own ends. Loki decided that this new revelation had to be taken into consideration and studied.

His eyes flicked back to Sophie's, "I suppose you shall know soon enough." Sophie stood back up to her full height and looked down at him skeptically.

"You wait here while Jane and I discuss what we are going to do with you." She tugged on the chain around his chest playfully.

"It appears that I have nowhere to go at the moment." Loki replied to Sophie's jab. She and Jane turned to walk out of the warehouse but before they walked out of the door Sophie looked over her shoulder and said,

"By the way, Jarl's going to be keeping you company. Try to get along." Jane and Sophie walked out the door and closed it behind them. Jarl lay down in front of him, his amber eyes focused intensely on the restrained man. Loki looked at the creature amused. Sophie's intimidation techniques left much to be desired but he could still admire her spirit. Her ignorance at her own helplessness in the grand scheme of things would play right into Loki's plans. He had been dealt a new hand of cards and Fate wasn't going to get the better of him. Not this Time.

* * *

"Sophie, what're you planning on doing with a god sitting in your warehouse?" Jane demanded.

"You said yourself that they are not gods." Sophie shot back. She and Jane were walking back to the house. It was about three in the afternoon and Sophie's dad would return home at any minute.

"He may as well be. When I was with Thor, all of his powers had been stripped from him by his father. Loki is a loose cannon, we don't know what to expect from him." Jane chided.

"That's funny that you should say that, considering that you were so willing to go along with him when he brought up Thor." That silenced Jane. The two women walked into the house and sat in the living room. Jane finally spoke up.

"So what are we going to do with him then?"

"I don't know." Sophie replied in frustration. "It's not like we can call up Asgard on the phone and ask for the return policy."

"You know, he was right," Jane offered hesitantly, "if he had truly planed on killing me or taking me away, he would have done it at the instant he had arrived."

"Jane you can't honestly believe that bullshit." But Sophie had to admit, Loki was right. With everything Loki had done in New Mexico and New York, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill her if that was truly his plan all along. But his appearance on Earth didn't sit well with Sophie. She knew that Thor had taken him back to his realm to face judgement from his people. Had he been released or did he escape? One thing was for certain though, she and Jane would have to keep their eyes on him.

Later on in the evening, Jane and Sophie returned to the warehouse where they kept their guest. Jarl perked up and trotted over to Sophie and greeted her.

"Hello Jarl! How was guard duty? It must have been excessively boring, huh boy?" Sophie said as she scratched Jarl's back. An irritated snort came from Loki. Sophie gave Jarl a treat and sauntered over to the prisoner followed by Jane.

"So what have my two wardens decided?" Loki asked, a cynical smile on his lips. Jane approached Loki first.

"We have decided that there is nothing we can do with you at the moment. However, we are not going to let you run amok causing more trouble."

"We're basically babysitting your ass." Sophie said as she came behind Loki and started to loosen his chains. Loki laughed at the two women.

"And what makes you believe that once you release me from my restraints that I won't try to escape?"

"Then why even come here at all?" replied Jane. Once his chains dropped to the ground, Loki stood up and rolled his shoulders. Sophie went to walk back over to Jane but Loki's hand shot out and roughly grabbed Sophie by her upper arm, spinning her around to face him.

"Then what if I were to kill you?" He said in a low threatening voice. Jarl was once again by Sophie's side growling furiously at him but he took little notice of it. Sophie could feel his icy fingers through her shirt and she realized just how strong his grasp was. Glaring into his vivid green eyes, she made no attempt to break his hold. Despite her above average height, Sophie still had to crane her neck to look up at him. His smooth alabaster skin was made paler by his dark ebony hair. He seemed to be, in every way, Thor's exact opposite.

"Then do it." Sophie challenged in an equally low voice. Jane started to protest and move towards her, but Sophie stopped her never taking her eyes from his. "If he's as powerful as he claims to be, he wouldn't hesitate to end my life." A cruel sneer formed on Loki's lips as he brought Sophie even closer to him almost pulling her chest to chest. He brought up his other hand and allowed his finger to trail up her neck. Sophie involuntarily shivered. He looped his finger around the chain that held the Mjolnir amulet around her neck.

"You take too much for granted, little girl." He whispered, his cool minty breath fanning over Sophie's face. He dropped his hand from her neck and released her. She quickly stepped back, effectively putting distance between herself and him. Jane worriedly came over to Sohpie but she shrugged her off. Sophie angrily grabbed an orange she had brought in from a nearby table and threw it at the god of mischief's head. He coolly snatched it from the air and curiously looked over the fruit.

"He's not leaving and he's not going to hurt us." Sophie told Jane with finality, "But he should know that if he tries, my dad is a retired police officer and I know where the safe is in which he keeps his guns and the code to get into it. Jarl here worked as a K-9 unit with my dad and he has a nasty habit of being a bit overprotective of us." Sophie headed to the door and looked back to Jane expecting her to follow, but Jane remained standing in front of Loki. She turned towards Sophie and motioned for her to go.

"I want to ask him a few questions." She said in a calm voice. Sophie huffed in exasperation.

"Then I'm leaving Jarl with you." She slammed the door shut, leaving Jane and Loki alone in the warehouse. The two regarded each other. Jane pulled up the chair that Sophie had been interrogating Loki in earlier and took a seat, motioning for him to do the same. He narrowed his eyes at her, but sat down obligingly. Jane then began to ask him questions that had been weighing on her mind heavily ever since Thor had left her in New Mexico.

* * *

So? What do you guys think? Things are starting to pick up, yes?


End file.
